Golf course owner buys Normanside

New owner plans to keep Bethlehem golf course as a golf course

Updated 12:24 am, Tuesday, March 8, 2011

Normanside Golf Course at the end of Salisbury Road in Delmar in this February 2011 photo. (John Carl D'Annibale / Times Union archive)

Normanside Golf Course at the end of Salisbury Road in Delmar in this February 2011 photo. (John Carl D'Annibale / Times Union archive)

Photo: John Carl D'Annibale

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Normanside Golf Course at the end of Salisbury Road in Delmar Friday morning 2/18/11. The private club has closed and the Bank of America put the mortgage note for the club's 269 acres up for auction starting at an attractive $1.3 million, leading to fear that the land could be subdivided into single-family homes or other high-traffic developments. (John Carl D'Annibale / Times Union) less

Normanside Golf Course at the end of Salisbury Road in Delmar Friday morning 2/18/11. The private club has closed and the Bank of America put the mortgage note for the club's 269 acres up for auction starting ... more

Photo: John Carl D'Annibale

Image 3 of 3

Normanside Golf Course at the end of Salisbury Road in Delmar in this February 2011 photo. (John Carl D'Annibale / Times Union archive)

Normanside Golf Course at the end of Salisbury Road in Delmar in this February 2011 photo. (John Carl D'Annibale / Times Union archive)

Photo: John Carl D'Annibale

Golf course owner buys Normanside

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BETHLEHEM -- The owner of two local golf courses revealed himself Monday as the winning bidder of the Normanside Country Club, saying that he plans to keep the property as is.

Rafael Flores, 50, owns the Mohawk River Country Club in Rexford and Hiland Park Country Club in Queensbury. Last week, his bid beat out the town of Bethlehem for the 269-acre, 18-hole golf course on Salisbury Road.

"We're not builders," he said. "We own golf courses, we like to keep it as a golf course."

Flores said he would not disclose the amount of his bid until the sale becomes final later this month.

Bank of America was asking for a starting price of $1.3 million and has said that the property drew a high level of interest. It became available when the struggling country club closed for financial reasons at the end of January.

Flores, who lives in Rexford, said that Normanside's location piqued his interest. He envisions it playing host to upscale banquets and weddings.

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"It's right next to Albany, so it's a perfect location," he said. "Bethlehem is a nice town."

Flores said he does not plan to develop the property. The club will be semi-private.

Current members would have to buy new memberships, he said. Whether they could use credit from their existing memberships has yet to be decided.

The cost of joining will be lowered in an attempt to attract new members, Flores said.

Members of the public will be able to golf for a price, and continue sledding and walking their dogs at no charge, Flores said.

Bruce Martelle, 46, who joined Normanside last year, said he and his friends were happy to learn that their favorite golf course would remain in one piece.

"Everyone's been holding out hope that someone would come in and make this thing private so we can go back to Normanside," said Martelle, who lives less than a mile from the course in Delmar and likes to play there a few nights a week. His annual membership cost about $5,800, he said.

He added, "I can't wait to play."

Joe Costello, 65, a 15-year member, reacted more cautiously to the news. "I'd love to continue to play there, but I'd certainly want to know more about the details of membership," said the North Greenbush resident.

Town Supervisor Sam Messina said the sale created a "good situation" for Bethlehem.

"It's good because the goals that we always had here, too -- in terms of retaining open space, continuing the golf course and having this be no impact on taxpayers -- would be achieved," he said.

Flores has owned the Mohawk River property since 1999 and Hiland Park since around 2002. He said he anticipates opening Normanside for golfing around the first week of April.